7/25/2007

Dozens of fires were raging in central and southern Italy on Tuesday, killing four people and destroying hundreds of acres of forest, according to news reports.

From Castel Gandolfo in the hills south of Rome to the Amalfi coast and the Puglia region on the heel of Italy, firefighters were battling blazes amid soaring temperatures and strong winds.

In Rome, which registered 36 degrees Celsius ( 96.8 Fahrenheit) earlier in the day, tourists sought refuge by dipping their feet in the city's fountains.

Italy has been hit by a heat wave with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius ( 104 Fahrenheit) in some cities, while many others registered temperatures in the high 30s Celsius (about 100 Fahrenheit).